CALStart has announced the formation of a Natural Gas Vehicles Purchasing Cooperative (NGV Co-op). With prices for natural gas hovering in the range of $2 /gallon equivalent, this development is indeed a welcome one for fleets and drivers alike.
The purpose of the NGV co-op is to provide fleet managers with the information necessary to identify, locate, and purchase a wide range of light, medium, and select heavy-duty natural gas vehicles. Currently, the NGV Co-Op is available only in Arizona, Nevada, and California but may expand at a later date.
Imagine getting instant feedback on your vehicle's miles per gallon (mpg) when accelerating, braking, coasting, or slowing down to 55 miles per hour on a roadtrip. In a time of $4+/gallon gasoline, such feedback would likely change the way you drive your car.
The Earth Day Coalition's Sustainable Cleveland Partnership and Clean Transportation Programs are working with NOACA's Air Pollution experts to educate local commercial vehicle fleets about the importance of meeting US EPA air quality requirements for our region through the use of diesel retrofits and idle-reduction policies. To that end, we've posted a compendium of idle-reduction policies for any fleet or city looking to implement such a practice.
A toast to the most efficient human powered machine ever developed and it just happens to be for transportation. The model pictured below is a Dutch bicycle known as a bakfiet, literaly meaning 'box bike'.
In step with the City of Cleveland's Bikeway Masterplan, an informal collaboration between citizens, City of Cleveland councilmen, non-profits, & several City of Cleveland staffers has resulted in the first use of Sharrows or Shared Lane Markings in Cleveland and likely in the entire state. Like Bicycle Lanes, Shared Lane Markings are another tool for facilitating bicycle use on appropriate roadways.
What does a green port look like? The South Jersey Courier Post has examined this very question in looking at Camden's South Jersey Port Corporation and their bid to green their port operations. I've copied some highlights from the article which could apply to Cleveland's Port relocation project.: (article text in italics / commentary in plain text)
-----
People across the country are buying smaller cars to meet their needs. Most of the cars mentioned in the article below are coupes, hatchbacks, and sedans. When will be begin to see the arrival of fuel efficient pick-up trucks and vans? The simple fact that many entrepreneurs and small businesses depend on these vehicles for their livelihood necessitates that this market is addressed!
Bicyle Commuting in Northeast Ohio is about to get a whole lot easier
The OhioRideshare service, created by NOACA, is pleased to announce a new feature that has been added to the web site: a bicycle commuter matching service called OhioBikeBuddies. This new, free service works similarly to OhioRideshare:
Goto www.ohiobikebuddies.com
In further facilitating the use of biodiesel by truckers, the National Biodiesel Foundation has created the BioTrucker Fuel Card. The card highlights the availability of biodiesel with a network of 151 truck stops that carry biodiesel. There are over a hundred stops in the Midwest and nearly twenty in Ohio.
